Printing-press sheet-transporting mechanism



Dec. 7 1926.".

B. D. STEVENS PRIflTING PRESS SHEET TRANSPORTING IECHAIISI Filed March s, 1921 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 I Zwov'? Dec. 7,1926. 1 ,609,585-

' B. D. STEVENS PRINTING PRESS SHEET TRANSPORTING MEC HANISM Filed March 5, 1921 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 cfqa.

of the present invention,

Patented Dec. 7, 1926.

I UNITED STAT BURT D. STEVENS, or EvANsroN, IL ANI) MANUFACTURING COMPANY,

NOIS.

ERIN

The manner of LI oIs, AssloNon or CHICAGO, ILLINoIs, A CORPORATION ES PATENT OFFICE.

T0 MIEHLE PRINTING PRESS OF ILLI- TING-PBESS SHEET-TBANSPOBTING MECHANISM.

Application filed March 3, 1921. Serial No. 449,52 7.

feeding paper sheets to the impression-cylinders of prlnting-presses of the stop-cylinder type and their delivery from such cylinders forms the subj cot-matter the salient or outstanding characteristic of the latter being the initiation of the delivery of the printedsheet from the cylinder before the latter stops'or becomes stationary and the feeding of the next unprinted sheet to during such period of A further feature of the lnventlon resides in not only having the delivery or corresponding elements fingers such cylinder dwell or rest.

grippers or take the sheets from the cylinder while the latter is revolving, thus permitting the sheet to ,be stripped or removed from the cylinder more easily than could be accomplished 1f the cylinder were still, but 1 also to have such grippers or slower speed than that they first act on the sheet, thus to some extent buckling the sheet fingers momentarily travel at a of the cylinder when back on the cylinder,

rendering it more readily stripped or drawn from the latter, than would occur were the two elements traveling the same speed, or

were the cylinder revolvmg more slowly than the travel of the delivery membe In theparticular appliance described in detail in this application,

removal of the sheet instituted, therotation progressively but, nevertheless,

retarded, delivery fingers or grippers is accelerating, 1

the cylinder at the instant at the time the from the cylinder is of the latter. is being and the travel of the of the sheet transfer is traveling faster than the delivery grip ing the desired uckli r fingers,

thereby producng or curling of sheet away from the cylinder to facilitate its removal from thelatter.

Another feature of rocking of the delivery gripper mechanism support on its oscillatory the invention is the whereby it is always in correct position either to. receive or discard a sheet, as

other words, thechang would otherwise the case may be.

e of position which occur in the-gripper mechanism by reason of the movements of its mounting are compensated-for.

In the accompany'ng drawings I have illustrated one desirable embodiment of the inventiomthe same re ferenoe characters rea the ferring to like parts throughout the several of the delivery device and the impressioncylinder at practically the moment when the transfer of the sheet former occurs during the retarded portion of the rotation of the cylinder. preliminary to its becoming stationary;

Figure 2 is an enlarged, fragmentary, tailed section showingthe positions of the parts just previous to the establishment of the delivery of the printed sheets;

Figure 3 depicts the relation of the same elements after the delivery has been inaugurated;

Figure 4.is a' parts shown in Figure 2 omitted;

partial plan view of the with spring 53 Figure 5 indicates the delivery appliance 'ust after having released the printed sheet which has been transported over the printed sheet pile;

Figure 6 is a fragmentary detail view; and Figure 7 is a side levation of a portion of the driving mechanism; and

Figure 8 shows in fragmentary manner the way of coupling the therefroma v Turning to these drawings, itwill be main-frame 11 sup lied guided, vertical, sliding bed printing-form, not shown, and reciproca in approved fashion at asomewhat varying speed by a counterbalanced crank-shaft 13 in the base of the machine revolved by any source of power, not illu trated, and operafrom the latter to the I impression-cylinder vto its driving-gear and disconnecting it In found that the printing-press includes a with a suitabl 12 carrying t e tively associated with the bed through a crank-arm 14, a connecting-rod 15, gears 16, and stationary and movable racks 17 and 18, respectively, such driving connection constituting the subject-matter of a companion co-pending patent application Serial No. 451,707, filed March 12, 1921.

A stop impression-cylinder 19 cut away on one side as shown in Figures 1 to 3 inclusive, is operated intermittently, being revolved always in the same direction at intervals, by a rack and gear and clutch connection with the reciprocatory bed in the usual or any appropriate manner, the cylinder being supplied with gripper fingers 40 swung back and forth or opened and closed in the well-known manner.

To effect this movement of the cylinder, it is supplied with a coaxial, apertured driving-gear 101 to which the cylinder may be operatively connected in 'a well-known manner-by a rod 102 slidingly mounted in the cylinder and adapted to be projected into an aperture 103 of the gear, under which conditions, the gear rotates the cylinder, the gear being always in mesh with the teeth of a. rack 104 on the vertically sliding bed.

Rod 102 has two collars 105, 106 fixed thereto and receives between them the forked or bifurcated end of an arm 107 pinned to an axiall -disposed shaft 108 extending out throng a bearing in the end wall of the cylinder and on which, if desired, the gear may be mounted.

The exposed end of this central, intermittently-rotating, clutch-operating shaft-V carries a relatively-stationary'collar 109 between a pair of collars 110 and 111 pinned to the shaft, collar 109 having an arcuate slot 112 receiving a cam portion of a rock-arm 113 fulcrumed on the frame at 114 and 0scillated by a cam 115 on shaft '13 and connecting bell-cranks and links 116, 117, 118 and 119.

When cam 115 causes the cam of arm 113 to push shaft 108 inwardly of the cylinder, then the drive-gear is uncoupled from the cylinder and the latter remains stationary although the gear revolves and conversely when the shaft 108 is forced outwardly axially of the cylinder, the latter is operatively connected to the gear, whereby rotation of the ,gear revolves. the cylinder.

During the descent of the bed and form,

the cylindrical half surface of the cylinder a is in cooperative relation with the printing form and the printing operation occurs, but

7 durin the ascent of the bed and form, the

cylin er remains stationary with its cut away, or sunken face toward the form whereby no printing occurs during this period.

In front of the bed and dylinder, the res i q pp with a supp y-pile boar 21 carrying the stack 22 of sheets to be printed which action,

and fed upwardly gradually by any of the wellown means, not shown, to compensate for the gradual depletion or reduction of the ile, the topmost sheets being removed mdividually in succession and delivered to an inclined, apertured, suction, registration feed-board 23 by suction-shoes 24, indirectly mounted on or carried by bent, hollow, rock-arms 25 fixed to' an oscillatory, hollow shaft 26 through which and the sup porting arms 25 suction is applied in any appropriate manner to the suction shoes, the shaft being oscillated, and hence the suctionshoes carried back and forth, by arotary shaft 27 connected to shaft 26 by a crankarm 28 on the former shaft, an arm 29 fixed to the-latter shaft, and an intervening or connecting link 31. Shaft 27 is driven from shaft 13 by a sprocket-wheel and chain connection 20.

Also in front of the bed are a pair of form-inking rollers 32 and 33 and their coacting vibrator-roller 34, an ink-fountain 35, a distribution-drum 36, a pair of ductorrollers 37 and 38, and distribution and transfer rollers 39.

To the rear of the bed, the printing-press has an automaticallyprogressively descending delivery table or platform 41 actuated by means, not fully shown,'and a sheet delivery mechanism mounted onta pair of rock-arms 42, only one of which is illustrated, fixed on a shaft 43 rocked in proper timed relationto the other movable parts of the mechanism by an arm 44 of the shaft connected by a. link 45 to a craiik-arm 46 on shaft 13.

Fixedly mounted on the two spaced rock arms 42, one at each side of the machine, is a shaft 47, (Figure 4), and rockingly mounted on the opposite ends of such shaft area pair of bracket-arms 48, only one being illustrated, carrying a shaft '49 rockmgly mounted there1n, one at least of such 1 bracket arms having on its outer side a roller 51 adapted to travel on the topedge of a stationary cam-bar 52.

These supporting bracket-arms and the parts 'which they carry are under the influence of one or more sprin s 53 encircling shaft 47 having One end astened to the shaft, the other end being secured-to one of the arms, wherebysuch arms and their associated elements tend to swing downwardly, of course, is controlled by cam-bar 52. I

A block or bar-54 secured to shaft 49 provides a bearing for a'gripper-shaft 55, a

coil-spring 56 tending to turn such shaft, en-

circling the latter and having its ends fastened to the shaft and block respectively.

Shaft 49 also has a plurality. of yoke arms 57, only one of which is illustrated, fastened to it, the bifurcated apertured ends of which accommodate the gripper-shaft 55,

ecause which may also have bearings at its ends in the bracket arms, such shaft between the spaced parts of the arms 57 having curved, s eet-gripper fingers 58 secured thereto, the free ends of such fingers being designed to cooperate with lugs or feet '59 projecting downwardly-from those portions of yoke arms 57 beneath shaft 49.

In addition, shaft 55 has an arm 61 fixed thereto carrying an anti-friction roller 62 adapted to coact with a cam 63 on the cor-'- responding end portion of theimpressioncylinder 19.

At the extreme rear of the machine, another stationary cam or abutment 64 is rovided with which roller 62 is designe to engage to open up the gripper fingers and release the printed sheet so that it may fall on the delivery-pile 65 on board 41.

The operation of the appliance takes place practically as follows:

Before the impression-cylinder has reached its stop position, the latter being illustrated in Figure 3, the delivery grippers, in traveling to the left, will have come to the end of their movement in that direclion or to the reversal 'position shown in Figure 2, the feet 59 and the gripper-fingers being held in proper open relation for the reception of the printed sheet from the cylinder by reason of the shape of cam 52 with which roller 51 coacts.

It will be clear that if the lugs 59 and their companion fingers 58, except for'the slight rocking of the latter to grip of release the sheet, were rigid with their sup-' porting and carrying arms 42, they would constantly change position with relation to the horizontal as the arms rocked about their center 43 of oscillation In other words, if these wereproperly arranged to deliver the sheet at the rear of the bed, they would not be in correct position to receive the sheet when adjacent to the impression-cylinder,.and vice versa.

It is, therefore, desirable or necessa to rock these. parts to compensate for the changing positions of their supporting arms. Such result is accomplished through the action of the one'or more springs 53, the controlling cam 52, and a stop pin and slot connections 66 and 67 between the bracket arms and their supporting shaft 47.

. Cam 52 assures that these feet 59 will be in proper verticalposition as shown and at the correct elevation, and that the I gripper fingers 58 will be in progeor relation thereto to receive the sheetm the cylinder,

whereas the stop pin .66 and the end of slot 67 insures the correct upright relation of these feet when the arms 12 are in a wholly different position when the sheet is delivered by the opening of the gripper fingers- When the delivery grilpper fingers are in the position shown in igure, 2, they are held depressed or open by the cylinder cam or rojection 63engaging roller 62.

he delivery mechanism reverses and begins its travel'to the right and i by reason of the'fact that it is actuated by a crank-arm its movement is accelerated.

At the same time, the cylinder continues its clockwise rotation, as viewed'in Figure 2, and, since it is now traveling faster than the accelerating delivery grippers, even though it is in reality diminishing in speed, it not only catches up to the grippers to which it transfers the printed sheet, but continues for a moment to revolve faster' than the 'ppers travel, thereby slightlybuckling th s printed sheet wrapped around the cylinder'and having a tendency to cling to it away from the latter hence facilitating its withdrawal or removal by the grippers which, by their acceleration, quickly strip the sheet from the cylinder and 'carry it away above the bed which is now near its lower limit of travel.

Gain 63 holds'the delivery gripper fingers open until the transfer has been completed, and then, by reason of the increasing speed of the delivery mechanism and the gradually retarding speed of the cylinder, the roller 62 leaves the cam at the correct moment tc grip the sheet, the cylindergrippers, o* course, releasing the sheet at the proper moment for such transfer, which takes place before the cylinder stops, that is to say between the two positions of the cylinder shown in Fi res 2 and 3.

The printed sheet is carried or conveyed over the depressed bed and form and above the delivery pile where, at the right moment, roller 62 strikes bar 64 o ening thegripper fingers and freeing the sheet which drops on to the printed sheet stack.

provided no extreme position is assumed,

which, of course, cannot occur in the device. I

presented.

ciprocating bed.

\ The next or oncoming sheet, having been Thus the printed sheet is effectively and i fed to the transfer board 23, is by movement of the latter, accomplished by instrumentalities not shown, registered with suitable front and side guides orgauges and gripped to the cylinder while the latter is stationary by the automatic closing of the c linder gripper fingers 40, whereupon at t e proper instant the cylinder makes one complete revolution during which the printing function is accomplished and the printed sheet stripped off before the cylinder stops in the manner above indicated.

Those acquainted with this art will have no difiiculty in understanding how the several objects of the invention have been accomplished in the mechanism illustrated and described, but, of course, the invention is not limited to the mechanical details of this appliance.

I claim:

1. In a printing-press, the combination of an impression-cylinder having a sheet receiving surface, means to rotate said cylinder intermittently, means to feed successive sheets to such same cylinder surface during its successive periods of rest, and delivery means to initiate the discharge of the sheets from such cylinder surface before its pescribed.

52. In a printin -press, the combination of an impression-0y inder having a sheet-receiving surface, means to rotate said cylinder intermittently, means to feed a sheet to such cylinder surface during each of its periods of rest, and deliver means to initiate the discharge of the s eets from such cylinder surface before its periods of rotation cease.

3. In a printing-press, the combination of an impression-cylinder, means to rotate said cylinder intermittently, means to feed sheets to the cylinder during its periods of rest, and

delivery means to initiate the discharge of the sheets from the cylinder before its periods of rotation cease and traveling at the moment of sheet transfer at a 5 ed different from that of the cylinder, su described.

4. In a printing-press, the combination of an im ression-cylinder, means to'rotate said cylin er intermittently, means to feed sheets to the cylinder dur' its periods of rest, and delivery means to initiate the discharge of the sheets from the cylinderbefore its periods of rotation cease and traveling at the moment of sheet transfer at a speed less than that of the cylinder, substantially as de- 5. In a printing-press, the combination of a vertically-reciprocating rinting-form bed, means to reciprocate said an impressioncylinder coo re with said form, means to rotate sai cylin er intermittently, means tofeedsheetstothecylinderduringitsperiods of rotation cease, substantially as deantially as an impression-cylinder, means to operate riods of rest, and delivery means constructed to transport the printed sheets across the path of travel of the bed and to initiate their discharge from the cylinder before its periods of rotation cease, substantially as de- 7 scribed.

" 6. In a printing-press, the combination of an impression-cylinder, means to rotate said cylinder intermittently at a variable speed, means to feed sheets to the cylinder during its periods-of rest, and delivery means to initiate the discharge of the sheets from the cylinder during the periods of decrease in speed of the latter, substantially as described.

7. In a printing-press, the combination of an impression-cylinder, means to rotate said cylinder intermittently, means to feed sheets to the cylinder during its periods of rest, and delivery means operable at'a variable speed .85 and adapted to initiate the discharge of the sheets from the cylinder during the periods of speed increase of said delivery means, substantially as described.

8. In a printing-press, the combination of an impression-cylinder, means to rotate said cylinder intermittently at a variable speed, means to feed sheets to the cylinder during its periods of rest, and delivery means operable at a variable speed and adapted to initiate the discharge of the sheet from the'cylim der during the periods of speed decrease in the latter and during the periods of speed increase of said delivery means,'substantially as described. 1

9. In a printing-press, the combination of a vertically-reciprocatin printing-form bed, means to reciprocate sai bed, an impressioncylinder cooperating with said form, means to rotate said cylinder intermittently at a variable speed, means to feed sheets to the cylinder during its periods of rest, and delivery 'means operable at a variable speed and constructed to transport the rinted sheets across the path of travel an above the bed and to initiate the discharge of the sheets from the cylinder during periods of simultaneous speed decrease of the cylinder and speed increase of the delivery means, the latter at the moment of sheet transfer travelin at a less speed than that of the cylinder, su stantially as described.

10. In a printing-press, he combination of a form-carrier, means to operate said carrier,

said cylinder, a delivery mechanism, in-. cluding means to ip the sheet and remove it from the cylindzr, a mounting for said delivery mechanism, means to actuate said mounting, and means to rock said sheet p' means on said mounting, substantial y as escribed.

11. In a printing-press, the combination of a form carrier, means to operate said car- "0 tier, an impression-cylinder, means to operate said cylinder, delivery mechanism including means to grip the sheet and remove itfrom the cylinder, an oscillatory mounting for said delivery mechanism, means to rock said mounting; and means to turn said sheet gripping means-on said mounting, substan- 12. In a printingress," the combination of an impression-cylin er, means for removing tially as described.

10 sheets therefrom, and means for buckling the sheetsthereon to facilitate their removal therefrom, substantially as described.

, 13. In a printing-press, the combination of an impression-cylinder, the normal operating speed of WhlCh variesbetween certain limits, and means for feeding sheets thereto and removing the same therefrom tinder different speed conditions, substantia scribed. BURT D. STEVENS.

ly as de-- 

